Welcome to the LIVESTRONG.COM community! We believe that social support is one of the most important elements of success when it comes to the pursuit of a healthy lifestyle transformation. Our community message boards offer a place for members to support, encourage and inspire one another through the sharing of common goals and experiences. These guidelines are designed to help maintain an environment where everyone feels welcome and encouraged to participate in the conversation.

By participating on the LIVESTRONG.COM message boards you agree to follow these guidelines:

1. Treat others with respect-always. This is our cardinal rule, and the one which all others stem from. Be positive and encouraging, and assume that others are coming from a genuine place. It is never okay to negatively attack, belittle or otherwise treat another member disrespectfully. Treat others as you would like them to treat you, bottom line.

2. Agree to disagree. There are many approaches to health and fitness. Unfortunately, one size does not fit all. Understandably, many feel passionately about the approach they take in their own health journey. However, opinions will differ, and when they do it is important to remember that, while it is okay to respectfully disagree with the message, it is never okay to treat others disrespectfully. Sometimes, the best response when you strongly disagree is to simply avoid the post completely.

3. Two wrongs don't make a right. If another member violates these guidelines in their treatment of you, avoid reciprocating. Follow the CONTACT US link and report the offending user to our staff. Regardless of who "started it", all members are accountable for following the community guidelines at all times.

4. No solicitation. Posts containing advertisements for products or services will be removed.

5. Keep personal information private. For your own safety, please avoid sharing your personal contact information on the message boards, including email or physical addresses, telephone numbers, etc. Sharing of Private Message or email conversations on the message board without the approval of all conversation participants is not allowed.

7. No promotion of unsafe methods. Those working towards or maintaining recovery from eating disorders and other eating-related illnesses are welcome to seek support in our community, however, posts promoting unsafe weight loss methods or seeking support in continuing or maintaining habits that exhibit signs of an eating disorder will be removed.

8. Image guidelines. We recognize that sharing progress photos is an important part of the health and fitness journey for many people. Please be cautious when deciding what photos to share to demonstrate your progress. Workout clothes or tight fitting spandex are a great option to demonstrate weight loss or fitness progress. No nudity or sexually explicit/suggestive content. No thongs or G-strings. We reserve the right to remove any image we feel is not appropriate.

Although we have attempted to cover the basics in thorough detail, the rule of common sense always applies. We reserve the right to remove any post that violates either the letter or the spirit of these community guidelines. Please do your best to always treat others with kindness and remember that everyone starts someplace and, although some may know more than others about health and nutrition, we all have things we can learn from one another. We might not all share the same approach, but we do all share the same goal of leading a happy, and most importantly, healthy life.

Repeated violation of these guidelines could result in the removal of your account. To report a violation of these community guidelines to our staff, please follow the CONTACT US link and send us a message.

These policies are meant to encourage open, supportive conversation, and not to make you feel limited. It's okay to be frank, direct, and even to disagree with your fellow members, as long as you do so with respect.

Thank you for your cooperation and support in making the LIVESTRONG.COM community the best it can be!